


jolly sailor bold

by redluna



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Basically a POTC AU, I have very few regrets, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-30 09:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8528593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redluna/pseuds/redluna
Summary: “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”—Friedrich Nietzsche
Let the hunt begin.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Phew, an under the wire post for Click [Inception Reverse Bang](http://i-reversebang.livejournal.com/). Art to come very soon, but until then I hope you'll be able to enjoy the story.
> 
> I promise the nautical puns were unintentional. Mostly.

Arthur made a living, at least in the more respectable part, through having the right information. It was how he knew in certainty that the carriage that arrived to carry them away from the authorities waiting at the docks was no true rescue. Not when the crest affixed to the doors told him all he needed about whose grand estate they were being bustled off to.

As it turned out, Duke Saito was exactly what far flung gossip warned him to be—bloody terrifying. For once, it feels more fortunate than irritating for Dom to be all that anyone has eyes for.

“Dominic Cobb.” Saito might have kept his tone polite, but the hidden shine in those dark eyes was self-satisfied. To be fair, there was little reason for the man not to consider the game won. No one amassed the considerable wealth—rumored to keep even royals in debt to him—that Saito had without knowing how to play each move to full effect.

“Dom is easier.” Dom paused to flick a near non-existent bit of dust off one of the heavy velvet curtains. “And there really  _ should _ be a ‘Captain’ in there somewhere.”

Arthur had to grit his teeth to keep his tongue at bay, only to feel a bit like toppling over when Saito  _ laughed _ .

“That is not how a man of my status should be addressed either,” he said, “but there is not the time to stand on ceremony. I have need of your expertise.” He rose from his desk, moving in a controlled stride to the table in the center of the room so to rap his knuckles against the map spread across it. “To reach the Fountain of Youth.”

“That’s impossible.” Arthur sighed, pinching at his brow when Saito’s eyes weren’t the only ones to jerk towards him sharply. “You can’t discover something that never existed to begin with.”

“There is little in this world,” Saito countered, “that can exist without first being unearthed. Don’t our colonies speak to that?”

“Fair point,” Arthur muttered, “but a moot one. Not when you would still need some kind of…” His words tapered off as he moved closer to the table where Saito stood, brow furrowing as he took in the map that was there. It looked like something out of a dream with separate arcs depicting one line of symbolism after another; trying to follow it all only resulted in a headache. “Nothing here is set. It can’t possibly be as accurate as other charts.”

“No,” Saito admitted, “but it leads to far more places.”

“So it would seem,” Dom said, tracing a finger along one of inked rims of on the map. “One has to wonder, though, to what end you are seeking the fountain. I’m not about sacrifice one of my own or myself for the sake of your self-interest.”

At least that point of morality had yet to be shed.

“It is not a matter of ambition,” Saito murmured, “so much as the heart. Lord Fischer has been in poor health for quite sometime, but it is failing now once and for all. To say that his son is determined to save him would be an understatement.”

“Enough so to risk making a copy of your map.” Arthur offered a small, rueful smile when Saito lifted his eyes to him. “Love can drive a person to impossible heights, for good or bad.”

“As well you would know,” Saito said. “Which brings us to offer that is on the table.” He braced his hands behind his back as he shifted towards Dom. “What would you do to be able to go home, Captain Cobb?”

Arthur was biting down on the inside of his mouth even before Dom’s spine snapped straight, eyes narrowing. 

“You couldn’t fix that,” Dom said. “No one can.”

“An impossibility then,” Saito replied. “Just like a map that leads to the Fountain of Youth.”

“Dom…” Arthur began, frowning when Dom waved him like an insect that had flown to close.

“A matter of the heart then,” Dom said.

“Of course,” Saito said. “Perhaps even more than expected. The ritual, after all, calls for the tear of a mermaid. A creature I hear you are most adept at hunting.”

By the time Saito lead Dom away with a hand pressed to the small of his back, Arthur felt a good deal like bashing his head against the all too fine walls.

*

Pirates weren’t romantic—anyone with sense knew that—but they  _ were _ fascinating. 

All the more so, of course, to a boy who had had nothing but a church run orphanage to keep him from the gnawing hunger of the streets. His near predestined life of a priest had seemed the worst sort of confinement, particularly with the roar of the waves echoing in his ears no matter how far from the ocean he was dragged.

When the  _ Inception _ had docked in port to recruit new members for its crew it had taken very little incentive for Arthur to scrawl his name onto the roster.

Mal had been there then, of course, never far from Dom’s side.

There would likely never be a moment when Arthur wouldn’t wonder if he might have had the chance to piece together the truth sooner. Yet it would seem that certain memories could only be brought to sharper focus in the wake of such revelation.

The way that Mal’s skin would remain as shining as a pearl, no matter how long she spent prowling the deck of the ship. How she would seem to whisper to the waves that rushed up to meet her as she waded in, cradling the water as close as one would a lover.

No one had thought to question her eccentricities when she cast the loveliness of her smile upon them or the care of her touch.

She had been trusted, loved, right up to the point that she drove the ship onto the rocks in an effort to drag them all down to sea with her, leaving Dom to take the blame for the death of a woman who had never truly been one at all.

*

There was some comfort to be found, at least, in the fact that the rest of the crew were as unnerved with the arrangements being made as he was. Even if their reasoning for it didn’t exactly align with his own.

“One mate brought along a mirror,” Yusuf intoned, hands waving in the air to full effect. “A bloody  _ mirror _ . Because, according to his ‘research’, mermaids are impossibly attracted to their own reflection. Didn’t seem to realize that the whole lot swim too deep to even see the damn thing.”

“Found a whole gathering of them poking around down in the hull.” Ariadne already had her legs propped up on the mess table, for which Arthur really should have told her off for. But then, it wasn’t as though more questionable things hadn’t been slapped onto the space before. “Launched a whole inquiry into the state of the ship and the repairs it had to go under since…the...well, since the  _ thing _ .”

“Our captain’s wife tried to kill us all in a fit of insanity,” Arthur said. “That’s the  _ thing _ .” He shook his head when the other two gaped at him. “Look, I’m not going to burst out with it in front of him, but there doesn’t seem like there’s many ways for this to end well.”

“Oh, come on!” Ariadne shot back. “Where is your sense of adventure? A voyage like this would mean exploring a totally unknown land, more than even a year of pillages would bring, and the chance for our captain to actually get closure. All of which sounds damn excellent if you ask me.”

“Sure,” Arthur said, “so long as you ignore that you had to say ‘chance’.” He held up his hands when Ariadne slammed her fight to the floor decidedly, already more riled up than expected. “I didn’t come down here for a fight, alright? I just can’t be the only one keeping an eye out for Dom on this mission. This is an all hands on deck situation.” He didn’t realize the entirety of what he had done until his crew mates exchanged amused looks. “You know I didn’t mean—”

“To actually make a joke?” Ariadne pushed up from the chair to loop her arm over Arthur’s shoulders. “No, of course not.”

“I know it’s your favorite pastime,” Yusuf said, “but try not to worry quite so much. What is crew—or friends, for that matter—meant for save to stick with you to the bitter end?”

*

Even with directions in heading that baffled the mind more than once, the voyage was an easy one. The hands that Saito provided were efficient, at least, if more than a tad bit strange when it came to conversation. Simply put, Arthur was going to consider the tale which involved sailing off the edge of the world as little more than fantasy for the sake of his own sanity.

Laying anchor so near to a bay didn’t come as much of a surprise, though, even less so when all eyes shifted towards the original crew almost as one. It might not be enough to erase the unease that still came with watching the fervor with which Dom sprang to action, but Arthur had at least come well-versed in the practice that paying attention by now was a moot point.

Some of the others exchanged astonished glances when Dom clambered into one of the rowboats instead of taking up one of the relatively safe positions on the shore holding the nets, yet Saito’s face reflected a strange bit of pride before he waved for those in the lighthouse to draw its light up.

Now all that was left to do was wait. Which, to be fair, might have been a could deal easier  _ without _ the inane chitchat.

“Are you sure  _ she _ should be along with us?” The man clearly thought he was being discreet with the low pitch of his voice, but with all them crammed so firmly into the little boat there wasn’t much point. It wasn’t as though tipping his head towards the only woman aboard made it any less clear who he was discussing either. “Won’t the sight of her warn them off?”

“Oh, of course.” Ariadne knocked her foot against the sailor’s bench, making the man start all the more at the sound of her voice. “It will be my  _ breasts _ that send the mermaids off screaming. Just how daft are you?”

“I heard it said that a mermaid’s kiss can save a sailor from drowning,” another sailor piped up. “Is that true?”

Ariadne managed two long blinks before whacking the man upside the head; a new record, to be honest. “Alright,” she admitted, flopping back in her seat, “so you’re not as stupid as he is.”

“You won’t see a single one if you don’t sing.” Dom leveled a hard gaze on all the those that looked at him. “Mermaids like to hear singing.”

It was all the incentive that Arthur needed, at least to keep from having to hear one the more overly sentimental shanties.

_ “What will we do with a drunken sailor? _

_ What will we do with a drunken sailor? _

_ What will we do with a drunken sailor? _

_ Early in the morning. _

_ Way hay and up she rises, _

_ Way hay and up she rises, _

_ Way hay and up she rises, _

_ Early in the morning.” _

It was enough to rally the others, although that mattered for little as the time wore on without results. Even Arthur was tempted to suggest a shift in position to keep people from dozing off at the very least when cold fingers pinched at his arm.

“What the…” He almost swallowed his tongue, however, when spinning around in his spot only resulted in him being brought near nose to nose with a man hanging off the side of the boat.

“There we go. Thought I might have lost you there and that’d never do.” Arthur jerked away from the damp fingertips that dragged down the side of his cheek, but that only resulted in making the man—not that he could truly be called that, Arthur distantly realized—chuckle. “Aren’t you a darling?”

“And you’re a monster,” Arthur bit back.

The merman’s hand slapped down on the wood of the ship, brow furrowed. His eyes darted towards the hand that Dom clasped onto Arthur’s shoulder before locking with a certain amount of bewilderment on Arthur’s face. “That’s not a very kind thing to say to someone who’s come to rescue you,” he said.

“Rescue me from what?” 

The answer didn’t come in words, though, at least not in those from the merman. Instead a soft, gently accented voice carried over the sound of the waves; one that sent a chill down Arthur’s spine that had nothing to do with the cool night air.

[ _ “What will we do with a drunken sailor? _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwOweCB3V64)

[ _ What will we do with a drunken sailor? _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwOweCB3V64)

[ _ What will we do with a drunken sailor? _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwOweCB3V64)

[ _ Early in the morning. _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwOweCB3V64)

[ _ Way hay and up she rises, _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwOweCB3V64)

[ _ Way hay and up she rises, _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwOweCB3V64)

[ _ Way hay and up she rises, _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwOweCB3V64)

[ _ Early in the morning….” _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwOweCB3V64)

“Well, no point in waiting around, is there?” The merman clutched at Arthur’s face, dragging him forward even as Dom’s fingers dug hard enough into his shoulder to start to ache. “Take a deep breath.”

The forewarning should have been enough to clue Arthur in on what was happening, but it was still a shock to plunge into the water, the screams from those in still in the boat drowning out all at once. Not that the cool lips that slid over his own wasn’t even more of one, although struggling achieved nothing as a powerful tail beat them a path away.

The distant ringing of explosions told Arthur that the charges meant to drive the mermaids to shore had been dropped at last as much that the slide of scales against his skin or the flicker of multicolored tails did. Not the arms around him ever faltered, though, with the merman forming a path towards the rocks instead of following his sisters in towards the shore.

It was there that he flopped Arthur up onto the nearest flat rock in sight, twirling a finger around a strand of his hair. 

“It gets curly when wet.” The merman braced halfway up onto the rock so that his face took over all of Arthur’s line of vision, even as the sounds of fighting waged behind him. “Does that happen to all humans?”

“That’s not… I have to…” Arthur tried to press upwards only to find a hand on his chest that gave a forceful shove to keep in his place, no matter how much he struggled. “What did you do to me? And why?”

“I did it because I wanted to,” was the answer, although it wasn’t much of one. “She likes to tell stories, you see? I thought that you might be the one to…” Whatever point the words might ended in was stolen in a small cry of pain that had the merman falling from the rock. 

Arthur lurched to his feet in time to see Dom pull his sword free from the merman’s tail just before the nets closed around the creature, hauling him up to land where a contraption he hadn’t seen before was waiting.

A  _ tank _ , one meant to be carried.

“Where did that—” Arthur scowled at the hand that slammed onto his chest before turning it towards Dom’s squinting face. “Can I help you,  _ Captain _ ?”

“Don’t grow a conscience now, Arthur,” Dom said. “A creature like that hardly deserves it. The ritual should still work just as well with his tear as it would with one of his sisters’, but it must be fresh.”

“Right.” Arthur tore his eyes away from where the merman’s hissing could be heard until the lid of the tank slammed closed. “As you say.”

*

No matter what any of the tales might trick you into believing, trudging around an island wasn’t easy. Even more so when there was a tank to be hauled around as well. It was only after a wade through a pool with more than a few poisonous snakes than Arthur would have liked spotting, however, that the whole company was finally permitted a bit of rest.

He didn’t pay much attention to where he plopped on the ground, far more focused on trying to get out the water that had collected in his boots along the way. It wasn’t until he lifted his head that he caught sight of the tank out of the corner of his eye. Or, more particularly, the way the merman was all but scratching at the sides of it.

“Are we certain he breathe?” Arthur asked.

“He has water enough.” Dom didn’t even bother to look up from where he was collecting water from one of the nearby pools to splash over his face. Which was just as well since Arthur was paying far more attention to the merman, who was shifting his head from side to side in jerky movements.

“He needs air as well.” Arthur pressed his fingers along the side of the tank, frowning when his fingers made contact with an impressive lock. “This needs to be opened.”

“And run the risk of him escaping?” Saito replied. “I think not.”

“Better than letting him be killed,” Arthur snapped. “How else to get the tear then?” He lifted his hand to his sword, hesitating for only a moment before drawing it, wedging it between the tank so that it could be wedged open. 

The merman gasped to collect the air immediately, something Arthur didn’t even realize he was smiling at until Dom tore his sword free, throwing it to the ground at his feet.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Dom demanded.

“Seeing to the success of the mission.” Arthur snagged his sword from the ground, sheathing  before he could give Dom any excuse to draw his own. “If you want to haul me up on that then—”

A loud, singular cracking sound rang out, breaking off anything else that might be said. All Arthur was able to catch a glimpse of was the merman’s tail whipping hard against the glass sides of the tank for a final time before it broke apart entirely, leaving the creature to be spilled out to the ground with the water.

More than half of the crew had already drawn their swords by that point, although there turned out to be very little need for it. The merman’s tail flapped about for only a few beats more before settling the scales sliding away into skin as two legs unfolded. 

“There we go!” The merman spread out his arms, seemingly delighted with everyone’s bewilderment. “Now that’s settled…” The sense of smugness faded away after he sprung to his feet, however, the first attempted step leaving him tottering backwards.

Fortunately, Arthur was already there, wrapping the man securely in his jacket. He rolled his eyes at the grin that he received for his efforts. “No one wants to see you baring all to the world,” he said.

“Not so sure myself,” the merman said, “but I can understand why you’d want to keep me all to yourself.”

Saito’s voice cut across Arthur’s own sputtering as he turned from the scene. “There is no sense in wasting time when so close. If the matter is settled then we press on. Keep the creature close.”

“Oi!” the merman called back. “I have a name, you know.” He lifted his chin at the incredulous glances that such a claim brought him. “It’s Eames.”

“Charmed,” Dom grumbled as he pushed past, shoulder knocking against Arthur’s own.

It was enough to send him stumbling, although Eames braced his hand against a nearby tree before they could tumble much further. “Dominic Cobb is it? I see you managed to repair that ship of ours, after all.” He rolled his shoulders upwards when Dom looked back at him. “Mal will be glad to hear.” He swung his foot forward, dragging Arthur at pace beside him as the other members of the crew hurried to do the same.

“It’s like you’re actually  _ trying _ to get yourself killed,” Arthur hissed.

“Please,” Eames snorted, “I’m needed for mission, no? No one will lay a hand on me until then.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Arthur said. “If there’s a chance you might harm someone on the crew—”

“I didn’t harm anyone!” Eames insisted. “I  _ saved _ you, didn’t I? Just like you tried to do with Mal, even when the ship was going down.”

“Until I saw what she had become,” Arthur said. “What she had always been.”

Eames fell silent for a long moment, chewing on the inside of his mouth. “She wasn’t trying to harm you, you know.” He tightened his hold around Arthur’s waist when the man scoffed. “Remember how I kept you safe under the water? She thought she could manage that with all of you—to bring you home where no one could ever leave.”

Arthur shuddered despite himself. “Would such a thing even be possible?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Eames admitted. "Our sort aren't meant to remain on the surface for that long—it's one of the first lessons learned—but Mal was determined to have it all." His mouth pursed. "Perhaps that's why it's always been so important never to give our hearts over."  


"That isn't love," Arthur murmured, "it's insanity."

"Those two things do seem to collide at an alarming rate." Eames sighed, still damp head coming to rest against Arthur's own. "All I know is what Mal wanted—what she still does. You need to be wary of her...and of her love.”

*

To be fair, Arthur had never thought that securing the Fountain would be easy. Up until the moment the lot of them actually managed to stumble into the oddly unremarkable little cove, he was still questioning whether it could even be found or whether it would simply be their duty to drag back a miserable little lord to London.

He couldn't _entirely_ regret that Fischer had discovered his godfather was only out for the cup for himself, however, or that a small incident with a poison blade had left Peter Browning little more than bones on the rocks. He didn't begrudge Fischer the time it would take for him to forgive Saito, let alone trust him again, but it was far better than being stuck with a man so clearly out for himself or, worse yet,  _dead_. 

That Mal had been the one Fischer's party had snagged to aid in the pursuit for the Fountain was far worse. Although, in retrospect, perhaps Arthur should have expected that it would take her claws tearing into his chest to snap Dom back to focus.

"No! No, you can't choose them. I will not allow—"

The rest of her words were stolen by the little bubbles of blood pushing through the full curve of her lips with Arthur too worn thin to deny the tears burning at the back of his eyes.

"Sorry, sister." Eames let the blade in his hand tumble down into the water as Dom dragged Mal's body ashore. "She will find rest now, at least."

Arthur had to force his eyes open, still only managing to half mast, when Eames' fingers hit his cheek. "What are you still doing here?" He tried for a smile, but it felt a good deal more like a twitch than anything true. "You have your freedom."

"Don't have you, though." Eames' eyes were filled with a good deal more emotion then Arthur had come to believe any creature of the sea could be capable of. "And that's what I came for."

Arthur huffed a laugh, doing his best to ignore the flecks of liquid that fell on his chin as he did so. "You're mad," he said.

"I do remember pointing out how often those align, you know." Eames pressed his hand to Arthur's chest. "Now do shut up and let me save you."

"No." Arthur had to grit his teeth against the pain as he did all he could to shift away from the touch. "I won't let anyone die for me, especially not... I won't let you—"

Eames pressed a finger to Arthur's lips, laughing despite the glistening that had taken over his eyes. "Of course you won't," he said. "Noble to the end, as promised. But there are other ways to be saved, you know. All you have to do is trust me enough to ask."

"And hand over my heart as well, I'd guess?" Arthur asked.

"Oh, please," Eames said, "let's be honest now—I had that from the moment I found you."

"Cocky son of a..." Arthur shook his head, his vision swimming enough to inform him of just how little time he had left to come to a decision. "Fine then, save me, Eames."

"Thought you'd never ask."

The kiss was just as unexpected as the first, yet somehow warmer, even with the cool hit of water blocking out the cries from up above.

Even if he turned out to die after all, Arthur thought, there really were far worse ways to go then in the arms of someone you cared for.

*

If anyone had made her the offer of being a privateer, Ariadne would have taken it for the insult it was. Being the primary makeup of Lord Saito's unofficial scouting party, however, was a good deal more fun then working for the crown could ever be. Even more so since it provided them with their first steady flow of coin in quite some time, even if there were enough people underfoot now to turn towards a nuisance.

It was over one such man she had to clamber on the deck when news of a message broke. She hadn't expected one to come so soon, regardless of their stop at a new port, so she was hardly in the mood to let anyone slow her down from discovering just what had been sent their way.

She certainly wasn't expecting Dom to be grinning like a damn madman over a bit of parchment, though.

"Good news then?" She frowned when all he did was hoist the letter off to her, only to gasp at the familiar script scrawled over the page.

> _The way to the Devil's Triangle is open for pillage, so long as you can get there before the next full moon. Bet you we'll get there first._
> 
> _— A_

"We have our heading, mates!"


End file.
